In dubio pro reo
by Adora Dark
Summary: "It is impossible to tell where the law stops and justice begins." (Arthur Baer) Being the youngest public prosecutor in Tokyo,Makoto's life has never been greater. Until an old crime case opens once again, placing him in opposite sides with an ex lover, straining his current relationship with a police officer and setting everyone's life on a different rotation (SouMako, MakoRin)


in dubio pro reo is a fundamental principle of the Criminal Law, dating back in Roman Law, and basically meaning "when in doubt, for the accused", in other words if there are doubts about the defendant's guilt, they cannot be convicted.

Prompt followed is "Lawyers AU." There are no similarities between the legal procedures mentioned in this story and the Japanese legal system. There are some elements taken from the US legal system, and a lot of others taken from my country's Criminal procedure. Also, a lot of them have just been improvised by me. Scenes in Italic belong to the past.

written for Makoto's fanfiction exchange 2016

* * *

 **in dubio pro reo**

* * *

The door clicked shut, shielding the narrow office away from the raucous bullpen.

"I wasn't sure you would survive their headlocks."

Bright, soaked in vermilion, eyes sparkled, as Matsuoka Rin confidently strutted up to a midsized blackboard hanging clumsily on the wall. Outside, boisterous, happy voices were still rattling the air like a non-stop drone, keeping the pride sensation in his chest folds ablaze. He was loved at the Force; his red, dishevelled hair bore the attacks of this admiration.

"I was sure I wouldn't."

The chalk screeched on the board, its dust tickling Rin's nostrils. He stared at the parade of white, vertical lines, smugness dangling by the corners of his lips.

"You and Nanase-kun are still at it like schoolboys."

"And guess who's leading the race. Ten convicted arrests just this past week."

His notorious, sharp grin broadened, causing Gou to shake her head, but still grace him with a soft smile. There was something unbelievably soothing and secure in working next to her brother, after all. A familiar, gentle face flashed on a small TV screen and Rin hastily turned up the volume.

"Are these shots from this morning? The media really love Mako-chan."

Dithyrambic comments in bold letters were dashing across the screen, as an earnest looking man in a strict, business suit was being swarmed by microphones and reporters. Despite the rumble around him, his face radiated an incomparable serenity, as he stoically answered the rain of questions, not without a hint of pompousness.

"Love him? They worship him. He is the dream of the average housewife that every day watches the news wondering where our society is heading to. The nemesis in every middle-aged man's mind for the hoodlum that steps on the gas in early morning hours. Of course media will love him."

"He deserves the praise though. Both of you do. Sending that scum to prison was long overdue, nii-san."

And indeed, they did. Seizing up an infamous baron of the underworld and teaming up with Makoto to lock him behind bars for good, had been their latest success in a series of triumphs that smelled of crime and punishment.

Tachibana Makoto. The youngest public prosecutor Tokyo would ever know. A scholarship student who excelled in Criminal Procedure in his twenties, a renowned district attorney with many convictions to his credit in his thirties. A devotee of traditions and relentless justice, who though led a simple, low-key personal life, away from the voracious tabloids. No wonder he was such a sought after bachelor, when people viewed him as a benevolent crusader of lawfulness.

 _"...everyone deserves a fair trial, and today our legal system proved once again its efficacy and high standards. The people of Tokyo can rest assured that justice will always prevail..."_

"Look at him." Rin snorted as Makoto's mellow voice was pouring out of the TV. "He's like freaking Judge Dredd drenched in maple syrup. Do you know how they call him? Tachibana-sama, the impartial. Fucking unbelievable."

"Well, you wouldn't have fallen for him otherwise, nii-san."

Rin grunted in response , taking a sip from his coffee mug, but Gou knew well he was just hiding the sly smirk forming on his lips.

"The chief expects you to be at Ginza tonight."

"Yeah, I was hoping to avoid that. I'd much rather some local bar, but I dare you to say "no" to a Mikoshiba."

"You should be there with us, it's a gathering in your honour after all. Oh, before I forget it..." she rummaged through the papers on her cluttered desk, a striking contrast to her brother's orderly side "...this came today about that recent case of yours. You won't like it."

Frowning, Rin scanned the fax in his hand, almost spilling down his coffee when his curious eyes settled on a painfully familiar name.

One highway and several streets away, at the penthouse of an upscale apartment block, tranquil piano notes were gliding across furniture in earthen tones. Until the monotonous ringing of a cellphone, rudely interrupted the delicate choreography.

"What the heck? You're listening to Chopin?"

"Satie."

"Hmm...Gnossen?"

"No, the first part of Gymnopédies. And it's spelled Gnossienne."

"Bite me. Why don't you have the TV on? Your mug is everywhere."

Makoto took off his cypress coloured glasses. He momentarily closed his eyes, as his fingers gently massaged the red marks on the bridge of his nose.

"I have a pile of paperwork to do, Rin. The world doesn't revolve around one criminal."

"Though, apparently, it does around his prosecutor. Sooo...I'm getting dragged to a hang out at Ginza tonight. You don't think you'll find any time later, do you?"

"You can already guess the answer. Besides, I'm fairly certain you didn't call to ask me that."

There was a minute of prolonged silence, until Rin breathed out his worry at the other end of the line.

"I can't believe he's reopening that case."

"Well, he was hired by the defendant as his new attorney for a reason. He appealed right before the deadline expired."

"And it had to be him, out of all people. You think he has any chances?"

"Rin, it's an open-and-shut case of homicide doubled with attempted robbery. Even if his brief is valid, the facts presented in the trial won't change. The court's decision will remain the same in the end."

"So you're pretty much saying he's screwed. Have you seen him lately?"

"No."

"Makoto..."

"I'm not implying anything, I've just been busy, that's all. And now he just loaded me with one more paper to fill out against his client."

"He shouldn't have accepted to take over. He's digging his own grave this way, if you two end up in a face-off in court..."

Makoto sighed. The next second he spoke, his gentle voice had assumed a more reassuring tone.

"Look, Rin, his appeal won't go through. So don't shed any more sweat over this. Go out with your co-workers, drink some beers. Don't let anything ruin your mood tonight. And if I wasn't swamped with work, you know well with whom I'd rather be too."

The chilling wind rippled Makoto's sand-touched hair as he stepped out in the terrace. At such heights, the air currents could be merciless. Beyond him, Tokyo was expanding like an ever-buzzing beehive, its beautiful city lights sketching their various colours across the dark waters. And even though his job allowed him the privilege of owning a penthouse, luxury had never been his motive. No matter what all those vultures around him thought, his aim had always been the ocean. To be able to gaze into that omnipotent blue in the horizon from high above; safe in his distance but still blessed by this sight of infinity. Somehow that everlasting scenery calmed his soul while the strong Zephyrs whisked away his worries.

Because no matter what he had told Rin earlier on the phone, the truth was that primal concern was gnawing his mind like a woodworm, ever since he learnt the name of the new attorney. That same name that was now flickering in his lips like a whisper.

"Sousuke..."

 _"Sousuke...hey, Sousuke..."_

 _"At this point I would like to call up Tachibana Makoto to present his dissertation on 'The Victim's Role in Justice Process.' Please, everyone, pay attention to this exceptional paper, as it sets the example for how a proper thesis in Criminology should be."_

 _"...wake up, hood rat...Yamazaki!"_

 _A wave of applause spread throughout the packed auditorium, as a tall, young man with lightly tousled hazel hair and a whiff of awkwardness in his step, approached the podium. The warm reception stirred Sousuke from his spiritless state, making him drag the blasé sapphire of his eyes all the way up to the student stealing the spotlight. He hadn't been sleeping, like the jerks one row above him were scoffing about, but these endless presentations bored him to death. Yet, there was something about the heart-warming smile and the faint stammer of this student, that made Sousuke unable to break his gaze away. Still, all the orthodox crap he was blurting out , irked him to no end._

 _Faithful to his habit of skipping an uninteresting class, Sousuke picked up his notebook and quietly left his seat._

 _"Hey, where you think you're going, hood rat?"_

 _Malevolent snickers echoed in his ears, making his jaw muscles contract. He had always loathed the unwanted attention. Ignoring the rich brats, he took another step down the auditorium's large stairs._

 _"Law's too advanced for you? Perhaps you should return to the slums."_

 _"Fuck off?"_

 _That sounded louder than Sousuke had intended to. Most faces turned stunned to his direction, as the little scene he was so unfortunately involved, had just successfully interrupted Makoto's speech flow. Aware of the countless pairs of eyes fixated on him, but still adamant, Sousuke wasted no more breath on his future colleagues. Insulting the very neighbourhoods he grew up had always strummed a sensitive chord in his heart._

 _"Mr Yamazaki, please make a decision and either take a seat again, or leave so we can continue with the presentation. Hopefully with less thrills this time."_

 _Not sparing another glance behind him, Sousuke swiftly walked down the remaining stairs. But as he headed for the double door, his teacher's scathing tone stopped him dead in his tracks once more._

 _"However, before you leave, it would be seemly to congratulate your fellow student for writing this thesis, don't you think? Tachibana-san worked pretty hard to enlighten aspiring yet ungrateful lawyers like you with this dissertation. I'm sure you're at least familiar with what we call basic manners?"_

 _The ghost of a lopsided smile haunted Sousuke's face. He wasn't a rookie in taking such verbal beatings. Teal , hooded eyes strayed to the man standing by the teacher's side. But for a moment, the absolute lack of hypocrisy he discovered in those clear emeralds, made the dark haired youth hesitate. Could it be that this nerdy bloke, this unparalleled Criminal Law enthusiast, didn't share those feelings of pity and disdain with the rest of the elitist horde? Sousuke had to mentally shake himself away from such dangerous thoughts._

 _Mastering the entirety of his acting charisma, Sousuke firmly held Makoto's gaze while performing a deep bow._

 _"Congratulations...Tachibana..."_

"...and congratulations! The phrase we were looking for was indeed 'fair play'. Nagisa-san will remind us what you just won. Nagisa?..."

Sousuke let a long groan, as his large palm rubbed the sleepiness off his face. The harsh awakening, thanks to the irritating music of the random quiz show, had found him awkwardly sprayed on his dusty couch. He pulled himself up grumpily, stretching his stiff limbs and inwardly cursing himself for falling asleep with the TV on yet again. The memories from the previous night were a blur spinning in his head, and his navy blue tie was draped loosely around his neck. He always despised the countless wrinkles on his clothes in the morning, every time he crashed without taking them off.

His residence was dim, heavy curtains, hermetically drawn together, were blocking the daylight from sauntering in. Apparently the postman had stopped by while he was surrendered to Morpheus' embrace, because a while envelop was shoved under his door. His fingers trembled and creased the notice, as he read the same sentence again and again; his client's appeal hadn't been rejected.

A client who had been tried as an adult, despite his young age. That stormy night when a bedraggled mother wrapped in rugs had knocked on his door, desperately seeking a new hope for her elder son, would forever remain engraved in his memory. Admittedly, it was one of the toughest cases he had ever come across. Murdering in broad daylight a family man, active member to the local church and a beloved father of three; the kid was doomed. But, perhaps, it had been his mother's first words in plain, broken Japanese that caused something within Sousuke to crack and the cogwheels of his brain to start their restless rotation. The accused was biracial. An impure. A penniless punk that bummed his days around the slums, instead of becoming a useful member of the society. _Their_ society.

The newspapers had painted the kid's portrait with even darker inks. Suddenly, reputable family men had ceased being safe in the shelter of their own homes. Suddenly, armed robberies had turned to a constant threat, as the poor envied what the rest had lawfully acquired. Suddenly, indefinite confinement was the solution to every problem.

That class-oriented prejudice was what always made Sousuke simmer in his own blood. It also left him without a doubt that leading the kid's defence was, ultimately, the right decision. Even if it didn't translate into the best move for his own career. Not that the knock on his door had been an accidental turn of the wheel of Fate. His name had long now been linked to the repressed and the impoverished. To every soul around him, whose seedy existence was deemed unworthy. He often acted pro bono, representing the lower classes, and his unconventional methods had more than once triggered the Law against him. That was also his favourite oxymoron.

Sousuke's eyes drifted to the pile of newspapers dating from two days earlier, that was lying forgotten on his stained coffee table. At the front page, a black & white version of Makoto was greeting him with a genuine smile. Above the photo, the headlines roared for Tachibana the impartial, recounting the chronicles of his most well-known convictions.

"The impartial , huh?"

His fingertips softly caressed his stubbly cheeks. It was about time for a little shave.

* * *

Large pillows of cloud had blotted out the sky-vault's azure, spitting out feeble beads of grey. Droplets that reflected the smudge of the industrial part of Tokyo on their glossy surface. One of those tiny intruders, was trickling down Rin's temple, as the officer showed his badge to a seemingly oblivious old lady.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Takahiro, but I'm afraid we have to search the place."

"On whose authority? I see no warrant."

Rin's mouth curled up, as he simply tilted his head towards Makoto, standing erect several steps behind him, in his long jacket, and inspecting the moody weather.

"On his."

After scouring the house grain by grain, their focus centred on an old ,wooden chest with bronze finish. At first glance, it was the perfect, vintage storage for accessories or bobbins. But behind its inner, velvet lining, another type of paradise awaited.

"What do you think?"

Rin sniffed the crystalline powder on his pinky finger , before darting the tip of his tongue to feel the taste.

"Grade A quality, definitely. Who would have thought it? Following a lead up to here for a secret stash of guns, chancing upon nose candy instead. So,Makoto, we're -"

"Sealing it? Yes, you are. Duck tape the place."

Outside, the rain had started pelting the asphalt monotonously. On their way to the police cars, Rin quickened his stride, caching up with his taller companion.

"Hey, Makoto. It's been ten days. Have you talked to him?"

When the response was nothing more than an unwilling, negative head swing, the redhead clutched Makoto's forearm, halting his getaway.

"The appeal was valid and is going to be properly reviewed after all. If it doesn't fail -"

"Rin, this is not the time or place to discuss this."

Rain was now cascading between them in a sheet of grey. Pellucid drops of impure water were getting trapped among Rin's long eyelashes, but he wouldn't blink them away. His stare was unyieldingly fixed on Makoto. And the veil cast by his juniper green umbrella couldn't shield him this time from the redhead's persistence.

"Seriously, you're letting him do this?"

"The legal procedure must be followed."

"Don't feed me this crap."

"What exactly you expect me to do?"

"Exclude him?"

Makoto huffed, shaking his head.

"I can't do that, this is not how things work."

"Well there must be _something_ you can do. Tell him to ask for your exclusion instead? Step down yourself?"

"You don't understand. There's no act of force majeure either of us can invoke here. We aren't family or spouses. There's no way for me to claim some type of interests' conflict without revealing details about our past. It would turn to a scandal."

Rin's voice shrunk into a lump burdening his throat. Prominent DA in gay endeavours with uncompromising lawyer. He could envision the headlines already.

"And don't think all this madness wouldn't lay a finger on you, as well. The media would tear my life apart, eventually digging up the true nature of my relationship to you."

Seeing his lover crushed under the weight of realization, Makoto trailed his hand up Rin's uniform clad biceps, granting them as much contact as standing in plain sight allowed. His shirt was getting soaked, but Makoto knew the sudden drop in temperature wasn't a result of the sullen weather.

"Why don't you come under my umbrella... you'll catch a cold at this rate" he whispered softly.

"Don't babysit me..."Rin murmured back.

"Don't be a baby, then."

Makoto slipped into the driver's seat of his silver sedan. But before he turned his keys on the engine, Rin tapped the blurry glass of his window. Makoto rolled it down, smearing the streams of water.

" I don't want to see you two falling further apart. We still need to talk to him. Even if the appeal fails in the end, as you think it will. And if you can't do that, then I'll go see him myself"

That meeting took place sooner than Rin could have ever imagined, when the following afternoon, a certain, intimidating brunet passed the threshold of Tokyo PD. Initially, the fiery redhead was caught by surprise. But as soon as he made sure no one would disturb them in the privacy of his office, he wasted no further time and demandingly lunged at his old pal.

"Are you out of your mind? What kind of demon got into you and made you take this risk?"

Sousuke raised a thick eyebrow at the solid grip on his collar, before jerking it away.

"It's my job you're talking about."

"Is your job raising walls between you and the people you care about?"

"Dramatic as always", the brunet imitated a yawn.

"Then tell me why. Why you agreed to stand with the defense?"

"Because everyone has the right in one."

"Don't give me this righteous bullshit. Why you chose this one, out of all cases? You knew well who arrested the boy. You knew well who proved his guilt and advocated his transfer to the correctional facility. Why you're so eager to take a stand against Makoto? If I didn't know any better, I'd think..."

"No. I know what you're about to say, but that's not it. I don't hold a personal grunge against you two."

Rin had seen this face before. The face of someone who felt betrayed and was left behind to rot in his dysfunctional misery. He hadn't believed Sousuke the first time the raven haired man had brushed off the news about his relationship to Makoto, using his legendary aloofness. He wasn't sure if he should believe him now either.

"The judges will review whatever you claim in your brief, but the evidence is all there. Makoto had been working for months to collect everything before issuing an indictment. The boy confessed Sousuke, it's a lost cause."

"That's the thing, I'm convinced it isn't lost yet. And the reason I showed up today, is to let you know I'll be filing for an oral hearing."

"You can't be serious, there needs to be a factual change for-"

"Never have I been more serious in my entire life and, yes, that's exactly what will happen. The facts are about to change. I have all the proof needed to support that the gun used, belonged to the victim. My client never carried any weapons with him."

Rin's ruby eyebrows almost disappeared beneath his long bangs.

"What kind of nonsense are you suddenly blurting out?"

"The gun was originally in a case, under the victim's counter. That's where the kid snatched it from."

"Sousuke, that gun was unregistered. Typical of hoodlums like your client's to possess one. The old fella had no gun in his name. His fingerprints were never found on it."

"That's cause his wife had bought it recently from the black market. And, correct me if I'm wrong, her fingerprints were found around its grip and barrel."

A nervous chuckle echoed in Rin's office.

"Have you even taken a good look at the case? The old hag absentmindedly picked it up, right when she rushed out of the storage room and found her husband with his brains scattered around the floor like fucking garlands. She was hysterical when we arrived at the spot."

"I'm willing to bet some of those fingerprints are older."

"Just like that. You're randomly betting they are older. You've never been a good gambler, Sousuke."

Sousuke's mouth twisted in that wry smile of his, a rare but rewarding sight for anyone coming across it.

"Perhaps, though I also happen to have the receipt from the case she bought not long after she got the gun."

At that point, Rin was already persuaded Sousuke wasn't bluffing. An inner voice kept incessantly swearing at his imaginary reflection, since the failure of unearthing the true owner of the gun had been , if anything, a result of his own team's negligence. Still, this new information couldn't reverse the tables in the case at hand. Nothing could change the fact that the young delinquent had been the one to press the trigger. Raking his slender fingers through his crimson mane, he eyed suspiciously the man across him.

"Who tipped you over the case and where to find the receipt? Was that bubblegum imp again?"

A pink brushstroke of ruffled hair, spilled on the soft , white cotton of his pillow, flashed before Sousuke's eyes. One thing was sure, he got along well with his underground whistle-blowers.

"Naturally. Let me guess, Nanase was in charge of the investigation around the gun?"

"Oh shit."

Rin spat loudly this time and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms. Considering the tumultuous relations between his co-worker and the man Sousuke was referring to, it was of no surprise that police hadn't been alerted first.

"Still, the kid remains the murderer. He even claimed the gun was his own."

"He just went along with it."

Rin's features hardened at once.

"Choose your words carefully, Sousuke. I swear if you're even implying my men were-"

"Let's just say your investigation pointed at him as the owner and he didn't deny it."

There was a thin line between irritation and pure ire, and passionate Matsuoka Rin opted not to cross it this time. Hands on hips and mouth occasionally blowing that annoying, lonely strand of scarlet teasing his nostrils, he gazed at his old friend with an aching heart. The type of ache that floods the chest at the impeding downfall before one's eyes. And Sousuke was treading too damn near the edge of the cliff.

"Unless you have another ace up your sleeve, this isn't enough to lift your client's conviction. Even I know that. I hope you do realize it."

"It's enough to create doubts", Sousuke shrugged. "I'm willing to take my chances."

"Your chances against Makoto."

Sousuke averted his pools of sapphire towards the note-filled wall. The reality he and Makoto would find themselves on opposite shores for the first time, while a torrential river would sweep unresolved feelings and bitter memories between them, felt like a thorn on his side. He had been wading in murky waters for too long, his legs were rooted in this morass his ex lover called justice. This time he wouldn't back down.

"Splendid...just great..." Rin clapped emphatically at the brunet's stubbornness. "There's nothing else to be said then, after all you just came here and arrayed your ashes. So, please, don't let me hold you."

"Actually, there's one more thing." Sousuke massaged his nape, ignoring his friend's little charade. "I need you to watch something with me for a bit."

That "something" was revealed to be the records from the store's security camera. In a bizarre twist of Fate, the camera had broken down just before the murder took place, leaving nothing but white noise on its screen. Still, it had captured the boy's entrance into the mini market and those last, crucial minutes before the owner's life flitted away forever. Except for verifying the killer's identity , those recordings hadn't been proven much of a help. So it was of no surprise why Rin was already whining, hunched over his desk as he was, with his hand stiff over his glowing red mouse. He had spent countless hours scrutinizing these videos after all.

"For the last time, I don't see anything I haven't already seen."

"Check more closely, just before the video cuts to snow."

Hovering over him, Sousuke extended his arm and clicked on pause. The ghost of a scene lost in time froze instantly on the screen.

"There!"

"Oh there, right...nope, still nothing."

The brunet rolled his eyes.

"Notice how the store owner isn't facing directly the kid? He turns his head slightly to the left and keeps it there, as if something or someone else has his attention."

"Sousuke, there wasn't anyone else at the front part of the store during the time of the murder."

"Exactly. This video indicates you might have had the wrong impression all along."

"Oh come on, he could be looking at literally anything! Even his own wife."

"By her words, she was back in the storage room the entire time."

"Ten minutes ago you trashed her credibility into the dust bin, claiming she has been lying about the gun."

There was a creaking sound, as Sousuke pulled a nearby chair and his weight sank in. Entangling his hands under his chin, he thoughtfully observed the sarcastic police officer, overwhelmed by sheer silence. Rin relaxed in his own seat and pursed his lips, pondering his options.

"Ok, let's just say there was indeed someone else present. I hope you aren't implying that mystery person is the murderer instead. Your client confessed, the guys at the lab found gunpowder in his hands..."

"No, I'm fairly certain the kid killed that old guy."

"Then where you're getting at? Are you telling me there was an actual witness who may have a different view on what the heck happened down there?"

"Yes and no."

Rin swiftly placed his palm flat on Sousuke's forehead.

"No, you don't seem to have a fever."

"Yes, I'm thinking there is an actual witness, no I don't think they will give us a different version of the events."

"The kid never talked about any witness. Neither in the court, nor in his initial statement. I know, I was the first one to interrogate him. Aren't you worried that, if there is indeed someone else, what they have to say might not be exactly in favour of your client?"

"No, I'm not worried, cause if that was the case, those hyenas would have dragged them to testify already."

Rin raised his hands in surrender.

"Then why, Sousuke? Help me understand. Why your client would lie and conceal valuable information that would otherwise have been to his benefit?"

Sousuke wet his dry lips, meeting Rin's full of questions rubies. And as their gazes interlaced together, the redhead could detect a different sensation oozing out of his friend. Sousuke had connected himself to this case on a deeper level, because there was an imperceptible curve in his voice as he finally talked about his client; for the world, a sinner, but for him, a mere boy.

"Because, the whole local society of prudes stood against him. You have no idea how frightened that boy was when I first met him."

And indeed, Sousuke had never laid eyes before upon so much fear, safely tucked away behind the cold mask of solitude. A wild beast trapped in his silence, at first the young man was reluctant to talk to him. Meanwhile, what Sousuke perceived as the decayed side of society, a parade of intrusive journalists, neighbouring family men, merciless lawyers and the local church, had united their powers to extinguish the boy's presence from _their_ streets. The victim had been a peaceful store owner and a father, after all, living in a house with mowed lawn and offering his assistance in charities on Sundays. Tachibana the impartial had been appointed to lead the prosecution and the media were orgasming at the sight of his serene face delivering justice. Of course, if Sousuke wanted to be honest with himself, Makoto was executing his role with sobriety and expertise; both the evidence and the testimonies left him with no choice but to sentence the boy. However, Sousuke knew well that in the voracious eyes of the system's beast , it wasn't the sentence of a single murderer. It was the ruthless sentence of poverty, it was the punishment for the oppressed who , against all odds, continued to survive in the dirt, mirroring the true face of a society unyielding and judgmental. It was a way to gain importance by stepping on the lower classes.

No wonder why the boy had evolved to nothing but an oyster, with a shell too hard to crack open. But Sousuke wasn't a stranger to his drama. He had grown up in the same wretched neighbourhoods, he had been treated as a rascal, unworthy of his ambitious dreams to enter a professional field high above his caliber. He knew how to speak the boy's "language". It had taken him several meetings and endless fencing with the boy's silence, but for a week now, he could finally feel they were getting somewhere.

 _"There was someone else there with you, wasn't it? Someone you don't speak of cause you want to protect them."_

 _The boy frowned, lowering his gaze._

 _"It's ok, you don't have to answer. I wouldn't in your place either."_

 _"You...wouldn't?..."_

 _"No. That's what brothers down at the hood do. Keeping each other's backs."_

 _"I just...you know...don't want the rich bitches to judge him...you know..."_

 _Sousuke smiled, a simple "yes" plastered all over his consoling face._

 _"Hey sir...I gotta ask, why you chose to help me?"_

 _"I'm your lawyer, of course I'll be by your side."_

 _"No I mean...I've been called a low lifer...I'm a nobody. Why me?"_

 _"Because everyone deserves a second chance."  
_  
That was the moment Sousuke swore he would defend that boy and assist him in this legal battle to its very end. No matter the sacrifices or the final verdict. No matter if it meant lining up his troops against Makoto himself, stirring from their lethargy memories engraved in a past bittersweet and forgotten; vampires that would awaken only to torment and sink their sharp teeth into his own soul. Luckily he would carry a stake for each one of them.

* * *

"How many of these will you actually drink?"

Makoto placed a new bottle of cold lager amongst scattered, empty ones on the glass table, before joining Rin on the couch's comfortable cushions. With a flip of his thumb, Rin popped the bottle open and thirstily gulped down the golden brew.

"I don't know, how many cups of tea will you keep filling?"

"Oh, aggressive. Last time I checked, I should be the sulky one."

Makoto took a generous sip of his aromatic, green tea, feeling its warmth sedating his throat. Rin cast a glance sideways and, perhaps it was the alcohol, perhaps a slight dose of guilt, his cheeks flared up in an embarrassing hue of red. He hated being the bearer of bad news to Makoto, of all people. For the past few days, following Sousuke's unexpected visit, he was sitting on burning coals, trapped between his anger for the clues that had slipped his perception and the frustration over a possible oral hearing hindering Makoto's work.

"I'm sorry..."

"That's the sixth time you're saying this today."

"I'll say it as many times as it pleases me."

Rin shyly mumbled and his voice rumbled through the bottle's spout. In response, an audible sigh fled past Makoto's lungs.

"I'm fine, Rin."

"How typical of you" the redhead grunted, "you always say the same, Mako."

Makoto sneaked his arms around Rin's torso. Away from prying eyes, in the sanctuary of his penthouse, the hot-tempered officer was instantly transforming to his spoiled boyfriend. Large hands kneaded their way up Rin's back, tracing the sensitive yet inflexible muscle at the base of his nape.

"I admit I wasn't expecting an oral hearing. But the identity of the gun's owner makes no difference to the crime itself...you're really tensed here."

His thick, deft fingers manipulated the agitated flesh with delicacy, easing the gathered strain and eliciting a couple of soft moans from Rin. Brushing his long hair aside for better access, he faintly came in contact with skin smooth and ablaze, yearning for his touch. It was impossible for the redhead to not turn his head.

"And you're warm..."

Feeling his arousal building rapidly between his loins, Rin leaned into Makoto's embrace and , wasting no time, he seized his mouth. Makoto blinked surprised, but quickly loosened into the kiss, letting the subtle flavour of hops blend with his taste buds. Every time it was a unique experience, this erotic fusion with the redhead, leaving his lips numb and his mind longing for more. An oxygen thief by nature, Rin sucked more hungrily on Makoto's tongue, as his invasive hand found his belt buckle.

"Rin...I have...work that can't wait."

"My urges can't wait either."

Makoto's spontaneous chuckles were soon swept away by yet another fervent attack on his succulent lips. He was steadily relinquishing control, as he was being pushed down on the couch, grasping mere seconds of breath in between the sensual kisses.

"You can't possibly...compare my work to your...urges."

"That's right...they make me unable to think...straight..."

Suddenly, the nerve-racking buzz of a cellphone reverberated through the spacious lounge. With a long groan, Rin let his sweaty forehead drop on Makoto's shoulder.

"I suppose this is the part where I ask you to not pick it up, but..."

"...but your own phone has interrupted us many times before. See, you can't put your urges above your work either."

Reluctantly, Makoto slipped away from Rin's arms and headed towards his imposing desk. But soon his face changed several shades, as the troubled tone in his voice reached Rin's ears.

"Damn it...does someone owe him a favour?...Who gave the order?...I see..."

It was highly unusual to overhear Makoto mouthing even the most harmless swear word. Approaching the desk cautiously, Rin was almost scared to ask.

"How bad is it?"

"Tomorrow, the judge that presides over the case will order an oral hearing. Additional to that, several testimonies are to be rehashed in court. I'm sorry, Rin, but you will be cross-examined again. We're basically repeating the trial without the jury."

Makoto slowly slid down to his executive chair , leaving Rin to stare blankly at the wall of glass that separated them from a starless night. He threaded his fingers into the beige waterfall of his hair, curling them around handfuls of it. Mentally defeated.

"The guy's family will go berserk. Just yesterday one of their lawyers stopped by the PD , threatening everyone and their mother at the thought of the oral hearing. And now this...Makoto, do you think there's a chance-"

"No!...you don't get it...that kid murdered in cold blood a man he didn't even know and then rummaged his counter looking for money. It's such a basic crime. So basic... It's that headstrong idiot I'm worrying about."

There was a distinctive suffering in Makoto's fragmented voice, as if someone had just cleaved his way through his mind, hurling his thoughts and emotions in disarray.

"He's going to ridicule himself. He has nothing to beat the prosecution with, literally nothing. You can't imagine the names he's being called behind closed doors, down at the DA. This case will take a serious toll in his career. I mean, it's already bad as it is."

"Makoto, there's still time to strike a plea. Perhaps he-"

"He will never accept it. I know him, even back during our years in Law school, he was always being a heretic. I doubt his persistence is solely about this case anymore. It's about me..."

"Don't say that."

"I _know_ it's about me. He never came to terms with the fact I chose to serve the Law, rather than his unconventional ideas about it."

"Nevertheless...you will go see him this time, won't you?"

Makoto exhaled.

"Yes, I guess I will."

Rin leaned above his boyfriend, cradling his precious head in his arms, swathing him with love. No mater how cliché it would sound, he craved to tell Makoto that everything would eventually be alright. But he dreaded that Makoto would hear the erratic beating of his heart underneath his black shirt. And realize he was lying.

It was a morning gloomy and brisk, when Sousuke's doorbell rang. The sky was awash with various shades of grey, yet a feeble chink of light managed to penetrate the layers of bleakness. Makoto was standing at his porch clad in his old olive jacket and white scarf, reminding him a younger image forfeit in time.

"Can I come in? There's a book I'd like to return."

 _Sousuke wasn't supposed to be there in the first place. He had rushed all the way to the library in hopes of returning a book, but he had missed the opening hours and bumped on a locked door instead._

 _In late evening, the hallways of the university looked almost desolate. But there was a weird sound spotting the silence, a sound that resembled to faint whimpering. And he would have minded his own business really, had he not heard them saying clearly:_

 _"That's what we do to little faggots"_

 _The door of the reading club swung open and Sousuke cast his overwhelming shadow at the guilty faces staring back at him aghast. But the biggest shock was kept for his very self. Surrounded by several male students, forced down on his knees and with his right arm twisted behind his back, Makoto's distorted face glanced up at him in shame._

 _"What the fuck is going on?"_

 _"Don't tell me you're a friend with this cock-sucking nerd, Yamazaki."_

 _"Come on Tachibana, tell the retard here how exactly you get all those high grades."_

 _Someone grabbed a fistful of Makoto's hair , forcing him to arch his head upwards. The young student squirmed vehemently under their grip._

 _"You have approximately 3 minutes to back away from him."_

 _"Or what, hood rat? Are you actually gonna do something?"_

 _"Wanna try me?"_

 _Rocklike muscles flexed instinctively beneath Sousuke's flimsy jacket, tainting the faces around obscure. The men exchanged distraught glances._

 _"Let's go, bitch isn't worth the trouble."_

 _Shoving Makoto to the tiled floor, they hurried away , leaving nothing but warlike cries on their trail. Sousuke extended a hand to Makoto and the hazel haired man grabbed it with relief._

 _"Oi, are you ok?"_

 _Sousuke eyed his fellow student unsure, while Makoto was dusting his pants. The response was a heartfelt smile._

 _"I am now."_

 _"Did I..." he faltered, sometimes shaping his thoughts into words could be proven very stressful, "...you know...get here on time?"_

 _The last words faded in the air, as Sousuke nervously twisted his foot on the floor. An odd reflex he didn't know he was sporting. Besides, the vibrant red spreading gradually on Makoto's cheeks, wasn't helping him calm down at all._

 _"Yes. Thank you."_

 _Sousuke nodded in acknowledgement. And then nodded once more, clueless of what else he could say or do. Instinctively, he drew out his crumbled packet of cigarettes , offering one to the disheveled student._

 _"Thanks, but I don't smoke."_

 _Something felt shattered under his sneakers. Sousuke took a step aside only to see a green pair of glasses, smashed into countless pieces, a grim remnant of the attack. Makoto picked them up, already examining them with a hint of nostalgia._

 _"Sorry about that."_

 _"It's alright. By now, I'm kinda used to this type of bullying. It comes with the package of refusing to deny who I am or whom I fall in love with. I always wondered how others, like you, were dealing with those guys, but I guess you scare them enough."_

 _Sousuke frowned._

 _"Why would I have to deal with such people, I'm not a fucking queer."_

 _He almost chewed on his own tongue, damning his mouth for running faster than his mind sometimes._

 _"But I've seen you a couple of nights in Rainbow. You know, the bar near-"_

 _"I have no idea what you're talking about." Soucuke cut him off and this time, his heavy scowl had almost smudged away the teal stardust in his eyes._

 _"Oh I see...so this is how it is..."_

 _Makoto moved towards the brunet and Sousuke nearly yelped._

 _"Hey don't touch..."_

 _He left his sentence lingering in mid air, as soon as he noticed a rugged jacket right behind him on the ground, and profound embarrassment over his homophobic instincts kicked in. And even though there was definitely pain harbored deep within those emerald eyes, somehow Makoto's voice still managed to remain soothing._

 _"I was just going to get my jacket."_

Sousuke leafed through the hardbound book in his hands, failing to remember how long it had been since the day he had lent it to Makoto. The title 'The Subculture of Violence' was definitely something he would have once upon a time read on a whim. Straying away from its inked pages, his ultramarine eyes followed the magnetic aura Makoto emanated, as he strolled around his carpetless and strewn with papers, living room.

"So, to what do I owe the honour of your visit? Since I pretty much doubt it has anything to do with this book."

Makoto modestly clenched his hands in a lower position and stared back at Sousuke with a placid smile.

"Don't tell me you came here to negotiate, because you'll leave disappointed."

"No, I know you aren't after a plea."

"By the way, I have to congratulate you on brainwashing Rin. I mean, the guy was practically born in the same skid rows and only left once his mother remarried, after his father's death, and yet, he wouldn't cut some slack to my client at all. Really nice work."

"Perhaps you don't know it, but it's because of Rin you have a client in the first place."

"If you're talking about the kid's attempted suicide, right after he shot the store owner, I was properly updated on back when I took over the case. I know how the cops saved him."

"Not the cops. Just Rin. He omitted that detail in his testimony. Pretty humble for someone like him."

"Are you trying to make feel like I've wronged Rin? You know first it was you, now it's him. There's a pattern." Sousuke scoffed humourlessly.

"No. I'm here today mainly to show you these."

First it was a photo of a young man grinning happily at the camera on his graduation day. Then , the photo of a little girl blowing eleven candles on her birthday cake. Several people gathered around their dinner table for a family photo. And lots of unknown faces lining up at a charity gala for those in need. Makoto continued laying various pictures of people and places on Sousuke's coffee table, all frozen moments narrating their own backstory.

"I know who these people are. Their faces have been all over the news after their father's death. If you're seriously pulling the emotional card on me, you're gonna have to try harder."

"I'm not, emotions have no place in doing what's lawful and right. But, even though I don't know how, I can already tell you'll somehow attempt to put the blame on the victim, Sousuke. Back in school, you were doing the same. Always questioning even the most straightforward cases. So here I am, showing you the facts on who, the one you're planning on targeting, really was."

"And what about my client?" Sousuke snatched the chance and pressed on "what about who he really is? Did you ever take a minute to think of that? Did you ever think what an atrocious profile the media built for him, trampling his humble origins?"

"Sousuke, I'm working in the DA. The kid's prosecution had nothing to do with the media or the way the local society viewed him. It was based only on the facts."

"I'm not talking about their influence on you. But about the influence on my client, himself. Called to testify amidst a crowd of hounds and puritans, all asking his head on a plate before even the trial had started. Because this is the world he's been living in. A world that never forgave his immigrant mother, a rotten place that was prejudicial towards him since his birth. Is that your idea of fair trial?"

Makoto shook his head. He couldn't emphasize enough how much he sympathized with Sousuke, but simultaneously, how wrong his former lover was.

"Sousuke, it's not your life's story that's on trial. The Law is above our experiences and the complicated paths we've chosen. It's a stranger to our feelings and an unbiased judge of the flawed world you describe. At some point you have to stop being personally involved with the people you're defending, just because they once shared the same Fate as you. And at some point, you have to put our own shared time aside too."

It was like a balloon full of scarlet paint, violently colliding with an alabaster canvas. Like a momentous eclipse waiting to happen, and submerge the world into abyssal darkness. That seething rage suddenly flooding through Sousuke's veins in powerful waves, distorting everything on its frantic course.

"Get out of my house."

For a brief moment, Makoto shut his eyes. He had just lost the game for good.

"You overweening son of a bitch. You always think my only motives are my very descent or our failed relationship. Why don't you give me some credit for a change, will you? Get the fuck out of my house."

Casting a last glance at his once cherished companion, Makoto stood by the front door, emerald eyes rendered with grief.

"I can tell what you're about to say, but just don't." His hand's knuckles bleached out around the rusty knob. "Don't just tell me you'll see me in court."

And as Sousuke stood there plunged in silence, the hazel haired man slowly drifted away, tightening the belt of his coat against an unwelcome, wintry gust of wind.

* * *

The crowded courtroom was teeming with the audience's impatience. Journalists were covering most rows of seats, with local benefactors being second in presence, all in support of a peaceful family whose members, according to newspapers' reports, were stoically bearing their own cross. On the witness stand, police officer Matsuoka Rin was already feeling nauseous.

"Officer, was the accused carrying any other weapons with him? Of any kind at all?"

Sousuke's baritone voice soared over the restless room.

"No, sir. That's a definite no."

"At this point I would like to remind the court that it's already been proven, in the beginning of this hearing, that my client isn't the owner of the gun used in the incident. So, tell me officer, if I am the accused and plan on committing robbery, wouldn't I at least come to the store prepared?"

With an unusually booming voice , Makoto chimed in at once.

"Objection! Calls for speculation."

"Sustained."

"I will rephrase your Honour. Based on your experience, officer Matsuoka, how often does a potential criminal plan a robbery without counting on the presence of any weapon?"

"That's highly unlikely to happen, people often carry with them makeshift ones."

"Highly unlikely means there's still a chance to happen?"

"Yes, sir, that's correct."

"In which cases?"

"When the crime itself isn't really premeditated."

"Could you elaborated on this please?"

"Well, usually when someone acts spontaneously. Like if he decides to commit a crime, based on something he heard or...well saw..."

A reserved smile flickered on Sousuke's lips and Rin knew well where the brunet was aiming at.

"Have you recently watched the recordings from the security camera, officer Matsuoka?"

"Yes, many times."

"Right before the last video cuts to white noise, would you say the owner is looking at someone other than the accused?"

Once more, Makoto was there to intercept Sousuke's advance.

"Objection! Leading question, he's patronizing him."

"Sustained. Mr Yamazaki..."

Icy sapphire pierced through solid jade , as Sousuke's focus briefly swayed towards the lonely throne of the public prosecutor. Makoto met his gaze midway, composed as he was, taking notes during the entire procedure.

"While watching the last part of the recordings, officer Matsuoka, would you say that the accused has the victim's constant attention?"

Rin lightly fidgeted in his seat.

"Well...no. There's a short moment towards the end when the victim's focal point changes. But it's really short."

"Considering the video itself doesn't last long, would you still say the moment in question is short, when in reference to the video's full duration?"

"I guess...if you put it into perspective then...no."

A brilliant beam of triumph threatened to break free and spread on Sousuke's face. Having to restrain himself, wasn't the easiest task at that point.

"Thank you, I have no other questions your Honour."

"But he could literally be looking at anything, even his own wife."

Rin's desperate mumble didn't get unnoticed by the judge.

"Mr Matsuoka, you're not a novice in this. Answer only to the questions you're asked. Please, erase Mr Matsuoka's last statement from the records."

Finally, it was the prosecution's turn to examine the, rather rebellious, witness. Remaining at his elevated seat, Makoto stood up, his robust build under his immaculate suit instantly stealing all gazes.

"I won't delay the court, I have only a couple of questions for the witness, your Honour. Mr Matsuoka, does your department get often calls for potential criminal activity around the neighbourhood the victim's store is situated?"

"Yes, we do get a good share of them."

"So, rating the whole district, judging by the frequency of your presence there, would you say it's a highly dangerous area, dangerous, remotely dangerous, peaceful?"

"The whole district? I'd rate it as dangerous."

"Within a radius of 2km around the victim's store, how many are the registered gun owners?"

"There aren't many really."

"How many unregistered owners you have counted?"

"At least ten cases the last month."

"And when you interrogate them, what's the number one reason they give you for illegally owning a gun?"

Rin averted his face, towards his tangled hands.

"The dangers they daily encounter around the neighbourhoods."

"I see. One last question Mr Matsuoka. The defense asked you about a certain video taken from the store's security camera. From the beginning of this case, how many times you've watched the specific video?"

"Honestly, I don't remember. Countless times."

"And what was your initial reaction to it? Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"No, initially no."

"What about the second time you viewed it?"

"Still no."

"The third? The fourth?"

"Nothing."

"You're not the only one who watched that video, are you? You have a team under your command. How many people from your team shared with you their slightest impression about something out of the ordinary shown in the video?

The distress in Rin's pools of lava was now apparent, as they wavered anxiously between the two enormous, clashing rocks; Makoto and Sousuke.

"...none."

"Thank you. Your Honour, the prosecution has no further questions."

The load of responsibility had fallen heavy and unrelenting on Sousuke's shoulders. And as the legal procedures went on, it was becoming more and more apparent that taming the beast of the system, was nothing more than a dazzling chimera. Elusive and unattainable. Still, he firmly believed in his client's version of the events. A story that had been revealed to him brick by brick, after gaining the boy's priceless trust. He was certain there was someone else present in the store that fateful day. Someone whose secret was precious enough for a boy of seventeen years old to offer himself as a sacrifice in the altar of puritanism and modern witch hunt. He just needed more evidence to back up his undoubted certainty.

Hence, when two nights later Sousuke found himself in the middle of a sleeping neighbourhood, crawling through the garden of the store owner's house, it was of no surprise. Neither when he wrapped his elbow in rugs and shattered the kitchen's window, showering the night with sparkling beads of iridescent glass.

* * *

"Where the hell is he?!"

A fuming Tachibana Makoto stormed inside the small storage room, tailed after by a concerned Gou. Imagining Makoto like a raging bull bursting inside Tokyo PD, shined like a scenario that strictly belonged to the eerie lands of limitless fantasy. In the real world, it could only be an April Fool's joke. And yet, there he was, dragging Sousuke by his collar , as if he was a mere sack of rocks, and slamming him against the threadbare wall.

"I'm so sorry, onii-chan! I couldn't stop him!"

"Gou, close the freaking door and make sure no one gets near here!" Rin hollered , before engulfing Makoto's shaking arms "Oi, Makoto, give it a rest!"

But Makoto seemed deaf to any sound around him. Flames were emerging from his eyes, setting the lush forest expanding around his pupils on fire.

"Well if it isn't Tachibana, the Impartial..." with his back flattened on the cold wall, Sousuke sneered. "When did you grow a pair, Makoto, and stopped being the one cornered?"

"Why?!" he pulled Sousuke forward and fiercely battered him against the wall once more "Why you value your own life this low? Why you never care about the impact this is gonna have on everyone? Why?!"

"Makoto, enough!"

It took an almost superhuman strength for Rin to finally break the two of them apart. Panting, Makoto hovered over a chair, squeezing the wood with his hands until the veins on his arms popped up. Sousuke, on the other hand, remained silent, his gaze blankly directed at his cuffed wrists.

"What on earth where you even thinking? Do you understand what would have happened to you, had it been someone else in mines or Rin's place?"

"I have my evidence now" the brunet echoed in a monotonous tone, like a lifeless puppet.

"Nonsense! You know well that any evidence attained with illegal means, have no chance of standing in a court of law. Dare bring whatever it is your stole at the trial tomorrow, and I'll have no option but to prosecute you as well!"

"No word will leave this room. Gou and I will make sure to keep the rest of the department in the dark."

"You'd better. Because this time everyone's head is at stake."

Like a whirl, Makoto vanished as unexpectedly as he had appeared. Rin sighed his relief away, before uncuffing Sousuke.

"You really broke every record this time."

"He was a predator, Rin."

There was something bloodcurdling in the calmness of Sousuke's voice. It made Rin's body shudder from the top of his crimson mane, all the way to his toes.

"What did you say?"

"He was a predator stalking teenagers. I accessed his hard drive. Dozens of naked pictures , featuring boys as young as 12 years old. The mystery guy in the video? It was just another boy, Rin. Of fourteen , at max fifteen years old. He was getting harassed and my client noticed it. He snapped and there was probably a fight. He's only seventeen years old, of course his reaction would be unpredictable. Whose wouldn't?"

Rin sank in deep, torturing thoughts. If this gloomy story unraveling before him with all its horrifying details was a fictional scenario, he would desire to edit it into a proper book. A book that would probably have in store a better ending for the two little problems of his adult life. Because what wrenched Rin's heart the most, was the sight of Sousuke and Makoto in the corridors of the courthouse, during the break times from the trial. The silence weaving its web between them was deafening. And when that one time none of them stepped aside, but instead they bumped their shoulders and exchanged pitiful looks of disdain , Rin was there , spying on three lives crumbling down from the background.

* * *

 _Plains of golden skin undulated with every soft touch, as he measured the sturdy body beneath him inch by inch. Using his mouth as the means and his tongue as the scale._

 _"Trapezius...hmmm...latissimus dorsi..."_

 _Makoto chuckled as Sousuke ventured lower and lower._

 _"Gluteous maximus...hey, you're being bold."_

 _"I thought we were studying Law, not anatomy." the raven haired teased, before crawling up his boyfriend and capturing the sweetness of his mouth._

 _Eventually, Makoto broke the kiss and pulled himself to a sitting position._

 _"That's enough for now, I need to study."_

 _"You always need to study."_

 _"And you somehow always need to have sex when I m studying."_

 _He pursed his lips cheekily, eliciting a heartfelt laugh from the brunet._

 _"I can't help it, there's something incredible hot about you when you're blurting out principles in Latin taken from Roman law."_

 _Sousuke stared at his lover's face for a bit, and then continued in a lower tone._

 _"Sometimes I wonder really, why me? What did I do to deserve you?"_

 _"You should give yourself some credit, Sousuke."_

 _"No, honestly. I was so suspicious of you when I first met you. Called you so many names. You could probably have filed a lawsuit against me for verbal abuse."_

 _"It wouldn't matter. There would be no witnesses to back me up, it would be just my word against your own."_

 _"So what?"_

 _"So the burden of proof would..."_

 _"...fall on your shoulders, I get it. You claim it, you prove it."_

Makoto winked at him and rumpled his ebony hair.

 _"Someone did his homework apparently."_

 _"Seriously though...looking back at that day, I was horrible. I was doubting you, I was in denial about myself...So why me?" I was a nobody."_

* * *

The door to Rin's apartment creaked open. Sousuke entered the menacing dimness with a pinch of hesitation, as the devious redhead had been infamous for his pranks in the past. Wan, amber light sprayed its shady dullness around, while tiny sprinkles of dust were carelessly dancing and swirling in its presence. Summoned by Rin via an urgent call, the tall brunet scanned the place unimpressed. But, as he was about to leave, the sliding door to the balcony was pulled aside and a clueless but cordial face almost stumbled on him.

"Oh...now it makes sense why he insisted we meet in his place instead."

Makoto trailed his words, feeling rather awkward about the obvious set up.

"Right. Good night."

Sousuke's callous voice felt like a sting through his heart.

"Sousuke, wait...have we really regressed into this?"

"We're both doing our jobs."

"Rin told me about your findings in the victim's hard drive. I'll make sure a proper search will be conducted soon..."

"But?"

"...but you do understand that one crime doesn't justify another."

Sousuke pursed his lips, toying for a moment with the alternatives in his mind.

"You know, Makoto, the real reason why the kid never revealed the whole truth, yet preferred to take one hit after the other by your little band of goody two shoes, was because the younger boy is, probably, a homosexual still in denial. So he wished to protect his friend, without outing his secret. I wonder whom this reminds of..."

"Sousuke..."

"All I am asking for is a fair trial , away from prejudice, for this boy. When in doubts, in favour of the accused. Back in uni, you had repeated this so many times, I had it stuck in my brain for years. You carried this principle as your mantra, Makoto. When in doubts, you said..."

"Yes, Sousuke, but in this case there aren't any doubts."

"Of course there are..." Glazed sapphire eyes , restlessly seeking the man they used to know. They almost implored Makoto to understand, before Sousuke collapsed on a nearby couch. "...of course there are..."

With two wide strides, Makoto was by Sousuke's side. Without hesitating, he enveloped the vigorous man in his arms, a forsaken sensation of comfort consuming them both. Within each other's embrace, it smelled like home. Inhaling the intoxicating aroma Makoto's inflamed skin was emanating, Sousuke slowly hooked his way upwards, pulling on Makoto's clothes and nibbling the patches of bare flesh he was chancing upon. Everything was unfolding too fast, and it wasn't long before they ended up a tangle of naked limbs, bent over the coarse back of Rin's sofa.

In the shelter of his curtains' shadows and undetected all along, Rin himself was watching the scandalous mating exploding in all its erotic glory before his eyes. Stretching and pushing, Sousuke had established a steady rhythm of hard thrusts, drawing out the most lustful sounds from Makoto's panting mouth. Naked bodies writhed in sync, tarnishing the furniture with their body fluids, as pearls of sweat were pooling on their backs and joints. As much as this ecstatic sight aroused the redhead, he was also thankful for this long-due reunion. Anything that would ignite the hope of seeing two of the most beloved catalysts in his life letting bygones be bygones.

Realizing that time had signaled his cue to leave, Rin turned quietly on his heels and started straying away, when the sound of his own name, so delicately and lovingly spoken, made him glance back anew. There, where Sousuke was crossing his swollen biceps on his enticing chest, leaning against the door frame and Makoto, sun-touched and naked in all his godlike glory, was extending a inviting hand to him. Accepting the hedonistic proposal, Rin curled his fingers around Makoto's hand, guiding him in the confinement of his bedroom. Lying first on his glistening sheets, the redhead eagerly welcomed Makoto's erect member in the velvet of his mouth. At the same time, he hungrily absorbed the view of Sousuke's cock plowing skillfully his boyfriend's rear door ,all the while dangerously close to his electrified face.

In the aftermath of their blissful lovemaking, Makoto placed a soft kiss on the sleeping beauty that Rin was, hair like flames sprawled over his satin pillow, and stepped out at the balcony. Already fully dressed, Sousuke was greeting the night in the company of a nostalgic cigarette. As soon as he noticed the broad silhouette by his side, he offered his smoke.

"Some habits die hard, Sousuke."

"Well, I enjoy smoking."

"I was referring to you always trying to lure me into it."

The minutes sluggishly slithered between them.

"Things won't drastically change tomorrow in court."

A bittersweet chuckle enlivened the quiet night, as Sousuke shook his head.

"I couldn't imagine you saying anything different."

"That's how the laws work, Sousuke. The truth isn't supposed to always be likeable. I really wish you could see this. One sinner, doesn't entitle everyone in sin."

"You know...when I first met the boy, he was caged within himself. It took me quite a while to reach out to him and convince him to trust me. Then, in one of our meetings, he asked me why I chose to stand by him. Him, a nobody. You can probably guess what my answer was."

* * *

The courtroom was spinning around him, voices and faces merging together in a frantic medley before his tired eyes. Deprived of sleep, he had dragged his feet to his prominent seat, a walking zombie of his usual, attractive self. Everyone was awaiting his speech. Everyone was waiting for him to take the stand and put an end to that legal carnival, sending behind bars the primal fear towards the unknown that was nurturing society. However, his mind had never been more restless. Corners of it, darkened and webbed, had been stirred again into motion, reminding him of scenes he somehow had forgotten. His words to Sousuke, all those years back, had haunted his consciousness. Treasured memories and menacing omens were overpowering him, while familiar sounds were ringing in his ears.

 _"He asked me why I chose to stand by him. Him, a nobody. You can probably guess what my answer was."_

Had he really changed that much? In less than a decade, had he really aided the beast of conformism so well, that he had integrated with its impersonal sleek masquerade?

 _"Congratulations...Tachibana..."_

During his whole life he had striven to live up to his ideals. He had served this legal system in the best way possible, applying nothing more than what men greater than his insignificant being ever taught him. When exactly had he burnt the end of the yarn and was now lost into this endless labyrinth of "do's" and "don'ts"?

 _"That's what we do to little faggots"_

There was a part of himself he had once upon a time been proud of. A part society had lectured him to hide. Who was that smiling stranger in business suit that media worshiped like a God? Who was that traitor that had taken that part of his very soul and locked it deep where its agonizing voice could not be heard anymore?

 _"...looking back at that day, I was horrible. I was doubting you, I was in denial about myself...So why me? I was a nobody."_

 _"Because everyone deserves a second chance, Sousuke. Everyone."_

There's a point stagnant a time when the human mind gets numb and reaches its absolute zero. Makoto was now certain he was gazing the world from the bottom of the pit. And whatever was happening on the surface, its shrapnel was raining down on him in irony. From afar, he could still hear his conservative father saying:

 _"Makoto, my son. You're almost a grown up man now. And your obligations have risen as well. You owe to become diligent, obedient, humble, dignified, and above all, you owe to always tell the truth."_

"Mr Tachibana?"

From the other end of the tunnel, the judge's stern voice sounded, for the first time, almost concerned. Makoto blinked a few times, as the whirring courtroom seemed to settle back in its steady place. He was paler than a ghost. Staggering lightly, he stood up, his right hand instinctively fixing a button that had come undone.

"Your Honour...the prosecution would like to ... withdraw the accusations against the defendant at the current stage."

Inside the courtroom, all hell broke loose.

"Unacceptable! How much are they bribing you?!"

"What is this joke? Did he really say that?!"

"You're allowing a murderer to walk away from here!"

"Silence in the courtroom! Mr Tachibana what's the meaning of this?"

Makoto's jades traveled around the ecstatic faces, writhing in anger and confusion before his withdrawal. Until he spotted Sousuke, teal eyes widened in horror before the impeding doom of his ex lover. Squaring his shoulders this time and ignoring the frantic voices drumming in his ears, Makoto looked up at the respected judge.

"In dubio pro reo, your Honour. There are doubts regarding the defendant's guilt. The prosecution suggests a more thorough reevaluation of the entire case."

"Mr Tachibana! I hope you do understand the serious implications of your decision."

Sousuke wasn't sure, but for a fleeting second, he thought he saw Makoto smiling.

"I do...your Honour...But, that's the problem with this case. The truth isn't always just. And I'm here to serve only Justice."

Obliged by the unprecedented development, the judge didn't delay in postponing the trial. Within the frenzy, Rin edged closer to Sousuke and reassuringly patted his back. At a complete loss for words, the brunet was being lavished in hugs by the boy and his mother, who couldn't believe their own luck.

"I think you should go talk to him."

"You think so? I...I wasn't sure he would want to see me right now..."

"Oh I'm sure..." Rin smiled encouragingly "...he surpassed his own self this time. The media will crucify him... his career is probably finished. I'm sure he deserves to know it was worth it."

He found Makoto on a remote spot, outside the terrace on the second floor of the courthouse. Unlike the previous days, rays of sun were drizzling the city with their golden cloak and a gentle breeze was wafting the scent of flowers in the heart of November.

"Hey..."

"The answer is no, Sousuke, I don't smoke."

Makoto laughed and closed his eyes against the breeze.

"You are in a mood for jokes...at this time..."

"Well why not...The judge asked me to meet him in his office in about fifteen minutes. I already know I'm screwed. In fact, I expect a transfer within the following months. No way they will leave me in peace after today's little stunt. And yet..." he tilted his head lightly towards the brunet, letting the malachite in his eyes, the stuff fairy tales were made of, pacify the worry on Sousuke's face, "...yet, there's something unbelievably exhilarating in feeling your chest lighter. I know now, I wouldn't exchange this with anything in the world."

For several minutes they remained silent, standing side by side in that empty terrace, longingly gazing at the sun reining in the horizon.

"Well, I'd better get going. Last thing I need now is to make an already enraged judge waiting."

"Makoto, I..."

"You don't need to say it, Sousuke. I didn't do it just for your client. Somehow, I was actually carried away by your absurd ideas this time. What can I say? You always put the doubt in me."

"No, this is not about my client. This is about me as well." Sousuke insisted, and his face betrayed a newfound firmness "Today I gained back a friend."

And Makoto would always be grateful because at that moment, the breeze got stronger, drying up the tears pooling around his emeralds.

"Thank you, Sousuke. For _my_ second chance."

This time, Sousuke let him go. But as Makoto headed towards the top of the staircase , he bit his lower lip and called after his name once more.

"Makoto!...what do you say we meet up tonight for a few beers? Nothing sneaky on my part, I swear. Just like the old days, in our local pub. Perhaps invite Rin too. What do you say?"

Makoto's face brightened up.

"I say, have you really thought about it? That redhead is capable of drinking the entire bar and still tricking us in paying for everything."

A boisterous laughter escaped the dungeons of Sousuke's heart. Its beautiful , melodious sound, Makoto hadn't heard in years.

 **The End.  
**

* * *

Mentioned in the story:

Gymnopédie No.1 composed by Erik Satie  
"The Subculture of Violence" written by Martin E. Wolfgang and Franco Ferracuti

Thanks for reading, reviews are always welcome. My email is also available on my profile for requests, questions etc.


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